Generation of plants with altered protein, fiber, or oil content

Abstract

The present invention is directed to plants that display an improved oil quantity phenotype or an improved meal quality phenotype due to altered expression of an IMQ nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an improved oil quantity phenotype or improved meal quality phenotype.

It is claimed: 
     
       1. A transgenic canola plant, comprising a heterologous nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 40, whereby the transgenic canola plant has an improved meal quality phenotype, relative to control plants, wherein the improved meal quality phenotype comprises increased seed protein and/or decreased seed fiber. 
     
     
       2. The transgenic canola plant of  claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 40. 
     
     
       3. The transgenic canola plant of  claim 2 , wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising the sequence set forth as SEQ ID NO: 39. 
     
     
       4. A plant part obtained from the transgenic canola plant according to  claim 1 , wherein the plant part comprises the heterologous nucleic acid. 
     
     
       5. The plant part of  claim 4 , which is a seed, wherein the seed comprises the heterologous nucleic acid. 
     
     
       6. A method of producing an improved meal quality phenotype in a plant, said method comprising:
 a) introducing into progenitor cells of the plant a plant transformation vector comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 40, 
 b) growing the transformed progenitor cells to produce a transgenic plant, wherein the nucleotide sequence is expressed, and the transgenic plant exhibits an improved meal quality phenotype relative to control plants, wherein the improved meal quality phenotype comprises increased seed protein and/or decreased seed fiber; and 
 c) measuring the improved meal quality phenotype in the transgenic plant relative to the control plants, 
 thereby producing the improved meal quality phenotype in the plant. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 40. 
     
     
       8. A plant obtained by the method of  claim 6 . 
     
     
       9. The plant of  claim 8 , which is selected from the group consisting of plants of the  Brassica  species, soy, corn, sunflower, cotton, cocoa, safflower, oil palm, coconut palm, flax, castor, peanut, wheat, oat, and rice. 
     
     
       10. The plant of  claim 9 , wherein the plant is canola or rapeseed. 
     
     
       11. The plant of  claim 8 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of a plant grown from said progenitor cells, a plant that is the direct progeny of a plant grown from said progenitor cells, and a plant that is the indirect progeny of a plant grown from said progenitor cells and wherein the plant or progeny comprises the plant transformation vector. 
     
     
       12. A method of generating a plant having an improved meal quality phenotype comprising:
 identifying a plant that has an allele in its IMQ gene, wherein the IMQ gene comprises a nucleic acid sequence at least 95% identical to the nucleic acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NO: 39, which allele results in improved meal quality phenotype, compared to a control plant lacking the allele, wherein the improved meal quality phenotype comprises increased seed protein and/or decreased seed fiber; 
 generating progeny of said identified plant, wherein the generated progeny inherit the allele and have the improved meal quality phenotype; and 
 measuring the improved meal quality phenotype in the progeny comprising the allele, relative to the control plant lacking the allele, 
 thereby generating a plant having an improved meal quality phenotype. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  that employs candidate gene/QTL methodology. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12  that employs TILLING methodology. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence comprises the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 39.